MIT performs the greatest unboxing ever: The Atlas Robot

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If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to unbox a human-sized robot, gaze upon this video with extreme jealousy. Helios, the Atlas Robot MIT is using for the DARPA Robotics Challenge, was recently pulled from its box so that modifications and testing can begin.

In a world where disasters can happen with such severity that it is simply impossible for humans to wander in and fix things, there’s a real need for mechanical creations that can be controlled to rush in and save the day. In an attempt to speed up the process of creating these mechanical assistants, DARPA has created a competition to see who can build the best machine capable of entering a disaster area and either stopping further damage or making the area safe for humans.

MIT’s entry into this competition starts with an Atlas Robot, built by Boston Dynamics. To show off their shiny new toy they did what gadget geeks all over the world when they get a shiny new thing. They made an unboxing video.

The DARPA Robotics Trials will be taking place at the Homestead Speedway in Florida this December. Until that date, teams from MIT, NASA, Virginia Tech, and many others will be hard at work creating their versions of a robotic assistant to safely travel where we can’t.